for those of you that do fly for business, I'll be thinking about while I'm sitting on the ground:worthy:

6ballsisall

08-16-2005, 12:20 AM

this is cool:cool:

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pub/ltg/plane_japan.php

for those of you that do fly for business, I'll be thinking about while I'm sitting on the ground:worthy:

Jeez thanks for reminding me!! I just got off a flight :rolleyes:

Leroy

08-16-2005, 12:28 AM

Plane seemed ok afterwards! Great pix Milk!

I'm pretty sure I have been in planes that were hit by lightning. Like being in the middle of a flash bulb!

milkmania

08-16-2005, 12:30 AM

Jeez thanks for reminding me!! I just got off a flight :rolleyes:

1999 was the last time I flew

erkoehler

08-16-2005, 01:39 AM

1999 was the last time I flew

WOW, that was a while ago. You need a vacation :D

Cool story...

phecksel

08-16-2005, 12:40 PM

this is cool:cool:

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pub/ltg/plane_japan.php

for those of you that do fly for business, I'll be thinking about while I'm sitting on the ground:worthy:

Planes are very resilient to lightening strikes. Most thunderstorm related accidents are caused by wind issues, not lightening strikes. Pilots don't want to be anywhere near a thunderstorm, and will do every thing they can to avoid one. Airports will suspend arrivals and departures in thunderstorms. Bigger US commercial airports monitor and will advise if windshear or micro bursts are present. They'll also monitor radar and steer planes away from heavy rain. Most commercial and corporate planes have onboard radar and/or lightening detectors.

Flying is still one of the safest methods of travel.

shepherd

08-16-2005, 04:16 PM

Planes are designed to survived lightning strikes. If they couldn't, they'd all be grounded here in FL every day for safety concerns because we get thunderstorms daily.

If you're worried about safety, why do you waterski? You can get your arm ripped off with one small misstep! :eek3:

River Rat

08-16-2005, 04:23 PM

Planes are good for travel but better for jumping out of. ( in good weather!) :eek3:

pilot02

08-16-2005, 04:35 PM

Sure, that looks spectacular, but phecksel is absolutely correct about planes and lightning. Typically the worst that happens is something electrical MIGHT get fried but very, very seldom does it occur. Sometime's you'll see a small pin hole where the lightening penetrated a wing but even that's not real common. Planes create an electrical charge every time their up while flying through the air (clouds/dust) and have wicks to disipate the static build up to protect them. Same applies to lightening, it just passes through.

OhioProstar

08-16-2005, 04:50 PM

I travel on more than a 100 flights a year, through every major airport in NA. Cross wind and tubulance that drops you 10+ feet in a matter of a second make me much more concerned. Of course if something bad is going to happen I have resigned myself to the fact that I will have no control of it...

6ballsisall

08-16-2005, 07:06 PM

I agree, just got my Medallion status!! :banana: If it's gonna happen it's gonna happen and I can't control it.

Now answer me this, HOW do you detect lightning in the air before it happens?

I have never heard of that. and even if you can detect it, what do you do about it? :confused: :confused:

now as far as the human is concerned, according to some show I watched on TV, you have litteraly seconds or even less to expect a strike on the ground. Apparently you can smell a sulfer odor, then your hair stands on end, and BANG!!!! not much time you can do anything about it.....

I guess I would be interested to know how those work on planes....

OhioProstar

08-17-2005, 11:57 AM

I think some of the new airplanes have FLIR or Forward Looking Infared Radar which can pick up a thunderhead with lightening vs. one without.

Granite_33

08-17-2005, 12:25 PM

Commuter flight from ATL to Tri-Cities about 4 years ago on ASA. My plane was struck by lightning.........

Scared the sh*t out of me when it happened because it was LOUD.....but no issues......other than a few brown stained seats from the 3 people who DID freak out. :eek:

I am flying out of Cin at 3:30PM today.

Thanks for the kind reminder Milk........ :rant:

tones03

08-17-2005, 12:48 PM

Now answer me this, HOW do you detect lightning in the air before it happens?

I have never heard of that. and even if you can detect it, what do you do about it? :confused: :confused:

now as far as the human is concerned, according to some show I watched on TV, you have litteraly seconds or even less to expect a strike on the ground. Apparently you can smell a sulfer odor, then your hair stands on end, and BANG!!!! not much time you can do anything about it.....

I guess I would be interested to know how those work on planes....
They can tell by electricity in the air and all this other crap. I saw a program on it where they shot a metal rod in the air and caused lighting. If you have the right equipment and are smart enough, they know when lightning is going to happen. Pretty crazy stuff actually.

6ballsisall

08-17-2005, 12:57 PM

Jeez, all this talk of planes and lighting and crashing and here I am booking 4 weeks worth of travel. I must be dense :rolleyes:

Nah, I aint skeered :steering:

Farmer Ted

08-17-2005, 02:00 PM

Sure, that looks spectacular, but phecksel is absolutely correct about planes and lightning. Typically the worst that happens is something electrical MIGHT get fried but very, very seldom does it occur. Sometime's you'll see a small pin hole where the lightening penetrated a wing but even that's not real common. Planes create an electrical charge every time their up while flying through the air (clouds/dust) and have wicks to disipate the static build up to protect them. Same applies to lightening, it just passes through.

Just to piggyback on what Pilot said, nearly every component, panel, and structure of an airplane is bonded together. Lightning will enter at the strike and exit the plane usually on the opposiste end of the plane.
I had a jet in England that got hit right under the co-pilots wiindow and exited through the HF coupler on the top of the Vertical stab (tail) blew the fiberglass panel and the A/R flood light clear off the aircraft. Nothing else was damaged.

Speaking of copilots, Pilot02 do you know what the three things a good Co-pilot says?

Not me.... I only sit in the left seat (ASEL) though am familiar with the mile high club.... :headbang: :headbang:

bcampbe7

08-17-2005, 03:57 PM

Not me.... I only sit in the left seat (ASEL) though am familiar with the mile high club.... :headbang: :headbang:

I heard on Bob and Tom that their is a 1/2 mile high club also. :uglyhamme

shepherd

08-17-2005, 06:46 PM

I heard on Bob and Tom that their is a 1/2 mile high club also. :uglyhamme

8p :uglyhamme 8p

phecksel

08-18-2005, 12:30 PM

Now answer me this, HOW do you detect lightning in the air before it happens?

I have never heard of that. and even if you can detect it, what do you do about it? :confused: :confused:

now as far as the human is concerned, according to some show I watched on TV, you have litteraly seconds or even less to expect a strike on the ground. Apparently you can smell a sulfer odor, then your hair stands on end, and BANG!!!! not much time you can do anything about it.....

I guess I would be interested to know how those work on planes....

With the old Mark 1 eyeballs?

Seriously, Lightening strikes emit a signal very similar to AM radio. I didn't look if this provides any additional technical information, but this is one of the products used to detect lightening http://www.insightavionics.com/pages/stk1.html

Unfortunately they don't save you from rapidly developing T-Storm. Friend of mine flew into one and suffered a lightening strike. His strike finder detected the one that hit his plane.